Joe Pavelski

With at most three games left in the Stanley Cup Finals the next most interesting part of the NHL season is about to begin.

Once again Leafs Nation will be sitting at the edge of their seat for the most part of the offseason in anticipation for what the crafty Brian Burke will do.

With that in mind here are the top 20 players who should at least be on Burke's radar through trades and free agency.

After what could be considered the game of the year so far, on Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks were back in action in Game 4 at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Kings.

After Game 3, sports analysts and fans on both sides were wondering whether the Kings would come out with all guns blazing after losing what was a four-goal lead at one point.

Joe Pavelski was the hero last night for the San Jose Sharks.

Last night, as the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings battled through an exciting overtime game, Pavelski got the shot he needed. He came into the slot after a perfect pass and fired it right by Jonathan Quick for the big win.

There was no lack of suspense on the second eve of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as six teams did battle for Game One of the playoffs, two of them for the first time ever.

The second seed Philadelphia Flyers took on the seventh seed Buffalo Sabres in the east along with third and sixth seed Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens respectively. In the west the high-powered San Jose Sharks battled the war-torn Los Angeles Kings in what turned out to be a much closer match than anticipated. 

In many ways it's the least important game of the playoffs.

The second game is always a must win for the loser of the first, game three is always a big momentum shifter, and game four and beyond are always must wins for either one or both sides.

And after the first round, the games only become bigger as the competition gets tougher and the Cup gets closer.

While the NHL's second season started last night, fans of the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings were forced to wait an extra day for their teams' opening game.

The Western Conference of the NHL was nothing short of a hurricane to watch this year. But the Pacific Division was the root of most of the drama, with weeks of three-point and unpredictable games.

Everyone knows how crucial draft picks are in building a winning team.

But not every high draft pick turns out to be a stud or a superstar.

Sometimes, teams strike gold and find a player drafted in the third, fourth, fifth or even ninth round who turns out to be a great player in the future.

The Detroit Red Wings are a team that have built winners on late-round draft picks and lately many other teams are starting to find their diamonds in the rough.

This slideshow ranks the top 25 players in the last 10 years to be drafted late (95th and later).

The San Jose Sharks are 10 games and 3 weeks away from the end of the regular season. They've collected points in 21 of their last 25 games. With just a one point lead in the Pacific Division entering their match up with the St. Louis Blues, they entered into the face of the storm Saturday night. The Sharks have fared very well since their last meeting with the Blues, going a total 24-3 since January 15.

The San Jose Sharks are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now.

They currently sit in third place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, just three points out of the second spot.

But it has taken a lot to get this team going. After a slow start to the season, big plays and game-winners have driven San Jose to the ranks of the elite.

It was Devin Setoguchi's Feb. 19 goal where he split the Avalanche defense, faked the forehand and went backhand top-shelf.

It was Torrey Mitchell's goal just a few nights ago against Vancouver.

The Washington Capitals were looking for a different outcome entering the rubber match from a 2-0 loss to the Sharks on Feb. 8.